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HYPERTHERM
POWERMAX30 AIR
PLASMA CUTTER
$1,939 hypertherm.com
Plasma cutters are so cool, but the ones
I’ve used all required hookups to large
compressors, along with added moisture
traps and flow valves. So when I got to
test this unit with its built-in compressor,
I worried that it would struggle to put out
enough pressure to do long jobs. This
concern grew when I saw the unit’s small
size — it’s a bit smaller and lighter than your
standard welding unit. Happily, it delivered
impressive results with minimal setup: Just
plug it in, attach the grounding clamp, and
pull the trigger. The internal compressor
kicks in instantly and, in my use, went as
long as I needed it. The unit automatically
switches between 120v and 240v (and
includes tails for each plug type), and with up
to 30amps of power it can cut metal ⅝" thick.
One realization though: After years of
becoming accustomed to CNC precision,
I really notice that my handheld plasma
cutting is pretty rough. But this unit is
compatible with CNC plasma tables, which
we’ll test out soon. This is a professional-
grade machine with a matching price tag, but
if you need portable plasma cutting, it’s got
you covered. —Mike Senese
ORANJE DESKTOP
FOAM CUTTING
MACHINE
$392 polyshaper.eu
Hot wire foam cutting has been a staple
of industrial applications for many years.
Polyshaper is bringing this ability to the
desktop with their line of simple CNC foam
cutters. The Oranje (the smallest in their
lineup) offers a reasonable price to jump
into cutting foam.
You really need to think in 2D when
designing for this, as it is essentially only
capable of cutting through a single plane,
but it does that quite well. The hot wire
slides effortlessly through foam materials of
varying thickness; it sliced up 2"-thick foam
without issue in my workshop.
Though you’re stuck cutting in 2D, some
creative design allows you to use this as a
rapid prototyping tool for 3D shapes built
from stacked or interlocking parts. A great
addition to your rapid prototyping tool set.
—Caleb Kraft
Mike Senese
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